


Coq-à-l'âne

by AvezVousDejaLu



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Battle, Cat Puns, F/M, Fluff and Humor, French, Friendship, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Original Akuma, Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-03-14 11:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13589514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvezVousDejaLu/pseuds/AvezVousDejaLu
Summary: Coq-à-l'âne is a French phrase for an abrupt change of subject. This work is a collection of unrelated one-shots.





	1. Petit à Petit, l’Oiseau Fait son Nid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got busy and couldn't write for months, so to get back into the swing of things, I had my friend throw some writing prompts my way. I foolishly thought I'd write something quick in one sitting. I was wrong.
> 
> She asked for: a reveal fic, Chat Noir and Ladybug find a kitty, animal akuma, and the line about being in the same library.

It was a peaceful day in Paris--too peaceful. It had been almost two weeks since anyone had been akumatized and Ladybug and Chat Noir were on full alert, waiting for the shoe to drop. They had taken up patrolling the streets, sure they must have missed something. Usually, akumas were incredibly showy and noticeable since part of their plan always involved luring out the two superheroes in order to steal their Miraculouses. Had Papillon given up? Had he already put a new plan in motion right under their noses? Ladybug hopped from roof to roof, on the lookout for any suspicious activity, when her yoyo rang.

She picked up the call. “Anything?”

“The park’s clear. How’re things on your end?” Chat replied.

“There’s nothing unusual over here. Next let’s search--” Ladybug stopped speaking abruptly and looked around. There was an unearthly wailing coming from a nearby alley that definitely wasn’t human.

“What? What is it?”

“Shh! I hear something... I’ll look into it and get back to you,” she hung up and launched her yoyo towards a street lamp, swinging towards it before lithely landing on the ground. She approached the alley carefully and peaked around the corner. The alley was empty and the noise appeared to be emanating from a restaurant's dumpster.

Ladybug approached slowly. As she got closer, she realized that the uncanny hollowness of the voice was due to the dumpster’s acoustics. One side of the lid was partially open, creating the effect. Ladybug expected to find an animal, but was still surprised and delighted to find the small ginger cat yowling up at her from inside. It had gotten its head stuck in the handle of a plastic bag.

“Oh, you poor _chou!_ ” she cooed, freeing him at once. He licked her hands in gratitude before attempting unsuccessfully to jump out on his own. Ladybug couldn’t suppress a giggle as she picked him up and set him on the ground.

The cat immediately began purring and wrapping himself around her legs. She giggled again and decided he was friendly enough to pet, although he was clearly a stray. “Who’s a pretty kitty?” she asked, scratching behind his ears.

“I hope you’re talking about me.”

Ladybug looked up in surprise to see Chat Noir grinning down at her from the roof behind her. He extended his baton to the ground and slid down flashily while she rolled her eyes. “You didn’t have to come--I would have called you if there were trouble.”

“What can I say? I’ll always come when you call, Milady.”

“But I didn’t call you--well, OK, I called your _phone_ but that’s not the same thing--” she argued before Chat gasped and pointed at the stray.

“Ladybug! I don’t believe this!”

_Here we go, Chat’s going to get jealous of the cat,_ Ladybug thought.

Chat Noir scooped him up into his arms. “You’ve found our child!”

“ _QUOI?_ ”

“I’ll call him Chat Noir Jr,” Chat cuddled his new child. “Don’t you worry kitty, Maman and Papa are going to take good care of you.” The cat purred.

“He’s not even a black cat!” Ladybug objected. “And he’s not our child!”

“But look! He has my eyes,” Chat cooed, holding Chat Noir Jr so Ladybug could admire their matching green eyes.

“And there ends the similarities. He looks nothing like a Chat Noir. He’s too cute.” She scratched the real cat under his chin.

Chat pouted. “So what would you name him, then?”

Ladybug considered the question for a moment. “Hmm… he looks like a Henri.” Henri the cat purred louder and let out a soft mew of approval. “See? He likes me better.”

“He has good taste,” Chat smirked. “As expected of our child. Who gets the first watch--just so we’re on the same page?”

“Page? We’re not even in the same library! You know we can’t actually keep him?”

“What? Ladybug, you’d abandon our child?” Chat gaped. He was partially exaggerating for comedic effect but he also genuinely couldn’t bear to leave the cat.

“You’re unbelievable. First of all, we don’t even know for sure if he’s a stray. Secondly, how do you propose we take care of a pet together when we don’t even know each other’s secret identities? Being a superhero takes up a lot of time; we’d never have time for him. No, getting a pet is too much responsibility and we have enough as it is,” she argued. “Come on, say goodbye to Henri. We’ve got more patrolling to do.”

She gave Henri one last pat on the head before she swung out her yoyo and leaped away. Chat frowned but Ladybug had a point. As much as he would like to, it would be difficult raising him together. On his own, on the other hand… “I’ll come back for you later,” he whispered to Chat Jr before setting him down and following his partner.

  
  


Later that day, Marinette returned home after a successful shopping trip. It felt weird carrying on as normal without any akuma attacks. She’d expected to be interrupted at any moment but she had gotten everything on her list and had had time to stock up on more fabric and some cute accessories for clothes she planned on making. If she and Chat hadn’t started patrolling, she would have spent weeks as Marinette without becoming Ladybug once.

She walked around the Dupain-Cheng Bakery to the side entrance to her home, peering carefully around her bags to watch for obstacles. She was incredibly accident-prone, but had managed to get this far without tripping or dropping anything. She was almost to her door when she realized she didn’t have any hands to open it. “Can you get the door, Tikki?”

Tikki poked her head out of Marinette’s purse to check if the coast was clear when she gasped. “Marinette! Watch out!”

Marinette stopped abruptly and looked around. That’s when she noticed a small orange obstacle at her feet. “Is that… Henri?” she gasped aloud.

“Perhaps he followed the smell of food?” Tikki suggested as Marinette set her bags down carefully. Henri mewed adorably.

“Aww! You’re sweet but I’m afraid baked goods aren’t good for kitties,” Marinette said as she stroked him gently. He rubbed his head into her hand. She squealed. “So cute! I wish I could just keep you forever!”

“You were right when you told Chat Noir it wasn’t a good idea to adopt him on a whim. Animals are a big responsibility!” Tikki reminded her.

“I know,” Marinette sighed. “Besides that, I couldn’t keep him anyway. My dad’s allergic.”

“It’s too bad,” Tikki giggled. “He really seems to like you!”

Marinette scratched under his chin and Henri positively melted into her hands. “The feeling’s mutual!” she crooned.

  
  


Adrien had been running all over Paris looking for Chat Noir Jr. The cat had disappeared from the alley where they’d left him and he hadn’t found him anywhere nearby or lurking in other trash cans. It was getting late and soon he’d have to return home for dinner.

“I don’t see why you’re going to so much trouble. What are the odds of your father actually letting you keep him, anyway?” Plagg complained.

“We don’t know that!” Adrien retorted. “It’s a big house; he wouldn’t even have to see him. I could keep him in my room.”

“I still say you’re kidding yourself.”

“Maybe,” he sighed. “Let’s head home, Plagg.”

Adrien hung his head as he marched his way home miserably. He checked his phone; Nathalie had been trying to contact him since he snuck out. He debated whether he had time to walk home or if it was better to have her pick him up. Although, he did have one last wedge of cheese on him. Maybe it would be faster to transform. He debated his options as he walked past the school.

Suddenly, he could hear a mass of giggling and squealing. He instinctively looked up, recognizing the voice as Marinette’s, but she wasn’t on her balcony. He hurried over, following the sound of her voice when he rounded the corner and saw her. She was kneeling on the ground next to several shopping bags with none other than the very cat he was looking for climbing precariously on her shoulders and licking her face.

“Ah! That tickles!” she squeaked through fits of laughter.

“Who’ve you got there?” Adrien asked, grinning broadly.

Marinette gasped in shock and the cat tumbled off her shoulders into her lap. “Ah--that--Adrien! What’re you doing here?”

“Just passing through. You have a new cat?” he asked nonchalantly.

“I wish,” she sighed. “But he’s just a friendly stray.”

“You’re not going to keep him?” Adrien probed, walking over to pet him.

“My dad has allergies,” Marinette explained shyly as Adrien grew close.

He scratched the cat’s chin and he rolled around Marinette’s lap, purring. Junior was getting cat hair all over her but she didn’t seem to mind. “Too bad. He really seems to like you.”

“ _I_ _like you too_ ,” she sighed quietly.

“What?”

“Ah! I said--he seems to like you too,” she fumbled, grinning wildly and forcing a chuckle. She needed to change the subject. “It’s too bad I can’t take him. I should probably bring him to a rescue center. A sweetheart like him deserves a good home.”

Adrien grinned. “Yeah, he does. Maybe I’ll take him, myself,” he mused as if the thought had just occurred to him.

“Seriously?” Marinette gasped. Leave it to Adrien to have a heart of gold.

“Why not? I’ll ask my father tonight. Then I can take him to a rescue center tomorrow to get checked out.”

A car rolled up behind them and stopped. A rather cranky Nathalie got out and pointed at her watch. Her face clearly said _I can’t wait to hear why you didn’t answer your phone_.

“Speaking of… no time like the present!” Adrien chuckled. He picked up Chat Jr. “What do you say lil guy? Wanna come home with me?” He took the responding mew as one of approval.

Realizing they were about to leave her, Marinette cried, “Wait!” and hurried to her shopping bags. She pulled out a small spotted scarf and tied it around the cat’s neck. “There! Now you’ll have something to remember me by.”

It was a sweet gesture, and very Marinette, Adrien thought as she petted him goodbye one last time. “You could come over and visit him sometime?” he suggested.

“Me? Really?” she gaped, trying to keep her freak out internal.

“Of course! I’m sure he’d like that too,” Adrien assured her, waving one of Chat Jr’s little paws.

Marinette giggled and shook his paw. “I’d love that. See you around, Henri!”

Adrien froze. “Henri?”

“Oh--I, euh, just thought he looked like a Henri. Of course, you should name him whatever you want--” she rambled in defense.

“No, you’re right. Henri is a great name. It suits him.” In fact, she was the second person to say that. The first being…

“Adrien!” Nathalie called impatiently.

“I’d better go,” Adrien called in farewell before he hurried over to his waiting car.

Nathalie raised a distinct eyebrow. “You intend to bring the cat?”

“I’m adopting him,” Adrien announced, getting in the car.

Nathalie sighed as she closed the door. “Adrien… you know your father--”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him?” he was only partially paying attention. He was watching Marinette. She had picked up her bags and was in front of the door as the car started away. He could have been wrong but it looked as if the door opened without her touching it. She began to edge her way inside with her hands full before he lost sight of her.

“ _Adrien_ \--”

“I know, I know,” Adrien cut her off sadly. “But it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

Nathalie seemed to accept this answer and they rode in silence for a moment. “What’s his name?” Adrien could swear he saw a smile.

“Henri.”

“We’ll see what your father says,” was her only response.

  
  


The plan was to take Henri to his room and hide him there until a good time to ask his father for permission arose. Unfortunately, Adrien never even got to his room. His father caught him at the top of the stairs.

“And what do you think you’re doing with that?” Gabriel Agreste asked darkly.

“Père…” Adrien hugged Henri tighter instinctively. “I found him, he’s a stray--”

“And you know that for sure do you? You had it checked for tattoos and implants by a professional?”

Adrien shrunk back. “No. I was going to take him to a rescue center tomorrow.”

“No. It’s better to take it tonight.” His father turned as if the matter was closed. “For all you know it could have diseases and I won’t have that sleeping in my house. Nathalie, take care of it.”

“Père--wait!” Adrien cried. Working up his courage, he admitted, “I was hoping to adopt him.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Please! He’s very friendly and if the center says it’s OK--” he begged.

“I said no. Adrien, wash your hands carefully before dinner. Nathalie, get that thing out of my house and make sure it doesn’t scratch my son,” Gabriel declared before walking upstairs.

“You’re not eating?” Adrien asked.

He didn’t look back as he answered. “I have work to do. Carry on.”

“Farewell, Henri,” Adrien said miserably, gingerly handing him to Nathalie.

“I’ll take him to the rescue center,” Nathalie told him gently. “Maybe we can talk to your father later and change his mind.”

“Yeah… maybe.” But he already knew it was hopeless.

  
  


Henri fussed in the arms of the volunteer and away from the scary chip reader. “It’s OK! It’s OK sweetie!” she reassured him. “Well, he doesn’t have any tattoos or microchips! It looks like he’s a genuine stray.”

“How can you say that when he’s wearing that thing around his neck?” the vet asked crankily as he entered the room.

“The woman who dropped him off said her son’s friend gave it to him or something.”

“Great. Now we’ve got another stray cat. Angeline, I told you not to accept any more cats! We’re full enough as it is.”

“Éric! How could you say that?” Angeline argued. “I had to at least check if he was a stray or not!”

“And now what? You might as well check him for diseases and neuter him too? You should have turned that woman away,” Éric huffed.

“Surely, there’s some room?” she persisted. “At least for the night?”

He sighed in annoyance. “Take him to another shelter then, if you feel so strongly about it! You’re done for the day, anyway.”

“That’s a great idea, isn’t it kitty?” Angeline said sweetly to Henri.

“Don’t get your hopes up!” Éric snapped. “If we have no room, I doubt anyone else is much better. You could take him to every rescue center in Paris and not find anyone to take him. If you have that much time, you might as well ask the Mayor for more funding!”

Éric insisted they had no spare cat carriers for her to use, but Angeline figured Henri was docile enough to carry in her arms. He seemed to enjoy it more than most cats she’d met. Indeed, Henri found it fascinating to look around him as Angeline cradled him in her arms. He’d certainly met a lot of humans today. He really liked the black haired one with pigtails who gave him the scarf. The evening air felt cool on his face as he enjoyed the new perspective from up high. He snuggled closer to Angeline as a breeze drifted by. Humans were warm. He liked them.

Henri had just began purring when a car horn startled him out of Angeline’s arms. He was so terrified, he launched off of her as hard as he could and sprinted away from the noise at full speed. He could hear Angeline calling after him but by the time he’d calmed down enough to stop running, she was nowhere to be found. It was too bad, but maybe he’d see her again. Maybe he could find that pigtail girl again.

First thing first; he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten since he was pulled out of that dumpster this afternoon. It was the time of evening when lots of the buildings smelled extra good and afterwards fresh food would be added to the dumpsters. He wouldn’t even have to catch it. He was close enough he could smell the river now and that meant one thing; people. Tourists loved to give strays food. Sometimes angry men would chase him away, but most people were nice.

He followed the scent of the river but found it wasn’t the usual crowded masses of people. There were more buildings and less food stalls along this edge of the river. There were a few restaurants with outdoor tables he could get to. The tourists in chairs made the “aww” noise when they saw him that meant they wanted to pet him or give him food but angry men chased him away again.

He was starving. He didn’t know where he was but he didn’t like it here. He missed his old part of town. He had a great hiding hole in the park where nothing could bother him and he always had birds he could chase there if he couldn’t forage for food. Here, he didn’t know where the parks were. He missed the scarf girl. She loved him, unlike these mean humans. He walked along the road. The parks were usually by the river; he figured he might be able to find a park with birds if he followed it.  
Angry barking startled him. It wasn’t uncommon for people to bring their dogs out and about with them in Paris but they were always leashed and easy to avoid. But to Henri’s horror, he realized that the dog barking at him now was coming from the outdoor café up ahead, and she must not have been tied down properly because she was running straight for him, leash trailing.

_Tree. He needed a tree._ But there weren’t any along this stretch of the river. Henri hissed as he ran flat out and the dog chased him furiously. She nearly caught up to him as she chased him right over the edge of the stone embankment, sending him tumbling into the river below.

Henri hit the water flailing, causing an enormous splash for his small size. He floundered about helplessly, unable to swim and with nothing he could grab onto.

  
  


Papillon was furious--more so than usual. He hadn’t managed to akumatize anyone in far too long and he was impatient to say the least. How could all of Paris be without problems for so long? It was statistically unlikely. He had wasted hours and hours in his lair and finally he felt a faint hint of distress.

It was… a cat. Could he even akumatize animals? He’d never asked Nooroo. Oh, well. It couldn’t hurt to try.

He sent an akuma into the cat’s scarf and reached out to establish a connection. It worked. He felt himself take hold of the cat’s emotions. “ _Chatastrophe_ ,” he began. Could the cat even understand him? He put aside the nagging voice in the back of his mind and continued. “I am the Papillon. I can save you from danger and grant you your desires if you give me what _I_ desire. I want the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir and then… your desires will be yours.” He had no idea what the cat wanted aside from not drowning. But it seemed to understand him. It agreed to his terms with a faint purring and _Chatastrophe_ was born.

  
  


Adrien had woken up early that morning and spent over an hour pacing before making up his mind. He hadn’t been able to get it out of his head yesterday. Could it have been a coincidence? Ladybug and Marinette had both chosen the same name for Henri for the same reason. And then the door… he’d had Plagg open locked doors for him occasionally. A kwami would explain it… but maybe there was a simpler explanation. But as he had compared pictures of the two of them side by side, he finally realized they had the same hairstyle and both had blue eyes. He had no idea why he’d never realized something so obvious before. He had often wondered if part of the magic of their transformations kept their identities secret. Had his Ladybug been this close all along?

Plagg had been no help, of course. And for that, he had to endure Adrien’s pacing. He’d decided he needed more information and now he found himself outside of Marinette’s house, waiting for some sign that she’d woken up. He was probably acting creepy but he’d made up his mind. He was going to follow her and look for evidence. And if she was Ladybug… he’d been trying not to think about that. He’d never intended to think of his friends in a romantic light--he was in love with Ladybug after all. But if Ladybug _was_ his friend… he felt guilty at the rush of excitement that gave him. He’d always liked Marinette- _-as a friend_ \--and he couldn’t let fantasies of Ladybug change things. He had to stop getting ahead of himself.

He watched for signs of movement from behind the fence in the park. Plagg whined for about the hundredth time. “This is boring. You can’t see anything from down here. If you want to see her so desperately, why don’t you transform?”

“I can’t,” Adrien objected. “It’s true I could see better from the roof of the school or her balcony but I don’t want to get caught--”  
“Stalking a teenage girl?”

“Plagg!”

“Then don’t get caught.”

Adrien considered his options. He had no idea if Marinette was even going to leave the house today. How long could he wait to find out the truth? Plagg was a terrible influence on him. “You win,” he sighed. “Plagg, transform me!”

Now Chat Noir, he leaped onto her balcony and peered down through her skylight. She was still sleeping. He jumped away from the skylight, embarrassed. He may be creepy enough to follow his classmate around--for good reason--but he was _not_ watching her sleep!

He waited for what felt like forever until he heard the harsh sound of her alarm going off. Marinette rolled over from her sprawled position and mumbled, “Tikki, five more minutes…”

If he didn’t have enhanced hearing as Chat he wouldn’t have heard it. Who or what was Tikki? He heard the faintest sound, like a voice answering her.

“Ten more minutes, then… WAAH!” Marinette amended before yelling in surprise at something. Chat peered over the edge of the window but couldn’t see who or what had woken her. He would have to stick his whole head out over the window and Marinette was very likely to notice him if he did that.

She giggled. “Ok, Ok! I’m up.” She was definitely talking to someone, but who? She got out of bed and he leaned his head over the side of the building to peer in her window as she climbed down the stairs in front of him.

He needed a better angle… He pulled back his head and brought out his baton. He opened the camera phone function and angled the pop out screen and _voilà!_ A makeshift periscope. He lowered it carefully over the edge and positioned it where it wasn’t blatantly obvious and he could see what was going on through the open blinds. He peered down at the tilted screen as Marinette sat down at her computer.

“Good morning, my love!” she said dreamily as she stared into her computer screen.

Chat’s heart sank. Had she been talking to her computer the whole time? More importantly, who was she in love with?

A high pitched female giggle answered Marinette and the same high pitched voice said, “You were lucky you got to see him yesterday. You were even invited to his house!”

Chat found this even more confusing but he had also thought he’d seen something flash across the screen. He shifted the baton and stretched his arm out; his tail flapped about as he adjusted furiously, trying to get an angle on whatever it was he saw.

“I can’t believe it,” Marinette told the voice, positively melting. “I never have this much luck. First Papillon takes a break and now this…”

Adrien nearly dropped the baton. He found it; the proof he was looking for. A red and black spotted creature was floating over Marinette’s shoulder. She was a kwami. He was looking at a kwami.

Marinette was Ladybug.

“Speaking of, what time are you going patrolling with Chat Noir today?” the mysterious kwami asked.

“Later in the afternoon. First I want to finish the dress I started last night,” the love of his life yawned.

“If you’re still tired, why don’t you eat breakfast on the balcony? The fresh air could be good for you!” _What the heck?_ Why was her kwami so much more supportive than Plagg?

“Good idea, Tikki,” Marinette replied, getting up. “And I’ll grab you a cookie while I’m at it!”

So Tikki was the kwami’s name. And she ate cookies? All Plagg ever ate was the world’s smelliest cheese. Chat Noir was starting to feel ripped off.

Marinette was headed downstairs to the kitchen but there was little point in following her now. He had the confirmation he came for. In no time at all, she would be coming out onto the very balcony he was hiding on now. It was time to leave.

He hopped onto the row of roofs behind hers and took off running. The adrenaline rush matched well with his already racing heartbeat and he felt like he could run forever off of this feeling. _Marinette was Ladybug. He knew Ladybug’s true identity._

He ducked into an alley and detransformed, promptly leaning against the wall for support, his thoughts racing.

“Wow,” Plagg said in amazement. “So Ladybug was your classmate the whole time.”

“It makes total sense,” Adrien declared, grinning wildly. “I always thought we were around the same age and Marinette has always been there for her friends. She’s kind, caring, smart, and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself or others; she’s everything I admired in Ladybug! Because she _is_ Ladybug.” He had to keep saying it to remind himself they were one in the same person.

“Of course, she’s very admirable. That’s why you’re madly in love with her--oh, wait. My mistake. I forgot that girl’s _‘just a friend_ ,’” Plagg remarked casually.

Adrien glared at him. “I’d only just met Marinette when I fell in love with Ladybug--”

“--Whom you’d also just met--”

“--I couldn’t help it! Ladybug was the most amazing girl I’d ever met. And I’d only said a few words to Marinette, whom I thought might _hate_ me at the time. If I’d seen Marinette save Paris without the mask I would have fallen for her as she was. Thinking they were two different people, I never allowed myself to think about Marinette or any other girls that way. It would be unfaithful to my feelings for Ladybug,” Adrien argued.

“Oh, please,” Plagg rolled his eyes. “You can say that for other girls, but you were always flirting with and showing off for the baker-girl.”

Adrien flushed. “I was not!”

“Were so. Adrien or Chat Noir, you flirted with her,” Plagg countered. “Trust me, I have a very sensitive radar for these things. It’s called a gag reflex.”

“Quiet, you!” Adrien grumbled, stuffing a wedge of cheese into his kwami’s mouth. Plagg hummed appreciatively.

Adrien shook his head in confusion while Plagg ate. Talking to Plagg was messing with his head. He loved Ladybug, and Marinette was Ladybug. But that made it sound like he was only paying attention to Marinette now _because_ she was Ladybug. But maybe that was true--he hadn’t thought about her that way at all before. Unless Plagg was right, and he’d been lying to himself about his attraction to Marinette all along. And if he’d thought of her as a different person, did that mean his feelings had already strayed once?

His feelings were a mess and there was only one thing to do. “I’m going to go talk to her!” he declared and took off running for Marinette’s house.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Plagg asked, flying beside him.

“Going to Marinette’s,” Adrien replied stubbornly.

“To do what? You know you’re not supposed to know her secret identity, remember? Or do you plan on telling your beloved Ladybug you betrayed her trust and spied on her to find out her identity?”

“I’m not going to tell her. Or maybe I will. I don’t know,” Adrien grimaced. “But the only one who can help me sort out how I feel about Marinette is--”

“--Marinette,” Adrien finished as he rounded the corner to the bakery and looked up at her balcony.

His heart immediately sank into his stomach. Marinette was not alone. In fact, she was with a boy.

A ginger-haired boy he’d never seen before was on bended knee, holding Marinette’s hand and gazing lovingly up at her. The sinking feeling continued as Adrien remembered what he’d overheard this morning; Marinette was in love with someone. Was this the guy? He thought Marinette looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Marinette took her hand back gently but the stranger immediately hugged her instead.

He licked her cheek. Adrien exploded.

“HEY!” he yelled suddenly, surprising even himself.

A surprised Marinette broke free of the hug and looked down over the edge of her balcony. “Adrien!” she called out, in complete shock.

The stranger, who had looked curiously over the banister with Marinette, smiled when he saw Adrien. “I know that boy too!” he announced happily.

“Euh... you do?” Marinette asked him in surprise. This was news to Adrien as well, but it was easy to figure out--he must have seen him on posters somewhere.

“Marinette, can we talk please?” Adrien called up, purposefully ignoring her guest.

“Of--Of course!” Marinette fumbled about excitedly, suddenly just noticing she was still in her pajamas. “I’ll be right down!”

“You’re going to talk to the nice blond boy?” the other boy asked cheerfully.

The nice blond boy found this highly annoying.

“ _Euuuuuuuuuuh_ …” Marinette stared at her guest as if she had no idea what to do with him.

“I’ll take you!” he declared and to everyone’s surprise but his own, picked Marinette up bridal-style and jumped over the railing. Marinette had barely begun screaming when he landed lithely on his feet and set her down gently. She held herself up like a newborn fawn, too surprised to do anything else.

“Are you alri--OOF!” Adrien was cut off by a sudden yet enthusiastic hug from the stranger. “What the-- _what are you doing?_ ”

The other boy was squeezing him tightly and rubbing the side of his face against Adrien’s. He was also making a noise that sounded strangely like purring. Marinette gaped at them. “I’m happy I get to see you again too! Do you come to see my Marinette often?”

“ _YOUR_ Marinette?” quoted Adrien angrily, shoving him off before turning to Marinette. “Who _is_ this guy?”

“I’m… not actually sure,” Marinette confessed. “I was eating breakfast on my balcony when he just showed up out of nowhere.”

“Marinette!” the boy said sadly. “Don’t you remember me? It’s Henri!”

“ _HENRI_?” Marinette and Adrien repeated in unison.

“But… Henri’s a cat!” Marinette objected.

The boy smiled again. “But look! It’s really me!” he pointed to the polka-dotted scarf around his neck. Its colors were darker but it was unmistakably the same one Marinette had tied around the cat called Henri the day before.

Marinette gasped. “That scarf… it’s really you!”

“But… how did you become human?’ asked Adrien, concernedly. “That’s not possible without something like an akuma!”

“Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called,” Henri replied cheerfully.

“ _Say what?_ ” the two yelled in unison again.

“A nice man saved me from drowning in the river last night and turned me into a human when I agreed to help him find something. I’ve been looking for my favorite Marinette all night and I finally found her!” Henri hugged Marinette again, rubbing his face against hers and purring.

“Henri…” Marinette began patiently. “The things the man wanted you to find, were they the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

“Yup!”

The two superheroes face-palmed themselves.

“Oh, by the way. He says my name is ‘Chatastrophe’ now.”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other in utter bewilderment when Marinette came to a sudden realization. “Wait--did you say you were drowning last night? But I thought Adrien took you home?” she remarked, looking between the two of them.

Adrien looked down sadly while Chatastrophe just smiled unperturbed and said, “Yup! So the nice boy’s called Adrien?”

“I wasn’t able to keep him,” Adrien explained. “My… my father didn’t approve. I’m sorry, Henri. I wish I could have taken better care of you. But Nathalie was supposed to take you to a shelter. How did you end up drowning in the river?”

“Is the ‘shelter’ the place with the white walls and scary metal table? A nice lady carried me out of there but I ran away from her when I got scared. Then I tried to find food and got chased by a mean dog--” Henri stopped speaking abruptly and his eyes became unfocused as Papillon addressed him telepathically.

“Enough chatter!” Papillon growled. “You’ve found your friend, now do as I asked! I want those Miraculouses!”

“OK. Where are they?” asked Chatastrophe.

“They’re with Ladybug and Chat Noir. You must capture those two and take the Miraculouses from them!” Papillon ordered.

“OK. Where are they?” he asked again.

Papillon twitched in annoyance. “Use your powers to destroy the city. Ladybug and Chat Noir will come to you.”

“Henri… who are you talking to?” Marinette asked tentatively.

“Le Papihomme. He wants me to destroy the city so I can capture the Miraculouses,” Chatastrophe explained pleasantly.

“You can’t do that!” Marinette gasped. “If you destroy the city you’ll hurt people!”

“OK. Then I won’t!” he assured her, smiling.

“You’ll do as I say or I’ll take back your powers!” Papillon snarled. “You’ll turn back into a mangy cat with no one to love you! If you want to remain human, _bring me those Miraculouses!_ ”

Chatastrophe frowned and looked at Marinette. “He says he’ll turn me back into a cat if I don’t. If I can’t live with the Adrien, Marinette, can I live with you?” he begged.

Marinette’s hand flew to her mouth and Adrien put his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head sadly. “I’m so sorry, Henri… my dad’s allergic to cats. I can’t take you in.”

He nodded resolutely. “Then I must go.”

“No, Henri!” Adrien objected, grabbing his arm. “We’ll find someone else to take you in! We can ask our classmates or take you back to the rescue center--”

“No, it’s better to be human,” Chatastrophe said definitively. “Then I can be with you and my Marinette whenever I want. It’ll be OK. I’ll be back.”

Shaking Adrien off his arm, Chatastrophe held up his hands and flexed them. Claws extended out from his nails and a swishing alerted both of them to a tail peeking out from between the edge of his pants and shirt. With his tight black clothes, he looked like a literal cat burglar. He was just missing the ears.

“Watch this,” he winked and sprang lithely up the side of the school, using his claws to climb to the roof before jumping away.

“That’s not exactly what I would call human,” Adrien commented.

“With a name like _Chatastrophe_ , I expect his other powers will be a lot worse than that,” Marinette replied grimly.

They both startled, remembering where and who they currently were, before hastily making awkward excuses to each other.

“Oh, euh, I just remembered I had a thing I needed to--”

“Look at the time! I should really get changed--”

“LATER!” they called in unison as they both fled to find somewhere to transform.

  
  


Chatastrophe hopped from roof to roof, casually looking for someplace to destroy. At first he’d thought to look for somewhere with fewer people but then he remembered the restaurants that had chased him away. He found them in no time, perching on the roof of one and grinning down at the people below. Parisians having their morning coffee looked up at him and pointed. He opened his mouth wide and let out an earth-rattling scream.

Windows and even cappuccino cups shattered all around. The building he was aiming at shook as if there were an earthquake. People screamed and fled, holding their ears. The quaking building fell, crumbling to rubble. Chatastrophe stopped screaming and jumped off his perch, cheerfully grabbing some ham off of one of the abandoned breakfast plates.

“Yes, Chatastrophe!” Papillon crowed. “More destruction! Cause even more chaos to lure Ladybug and Chat Noir to you!”

“‘Kay,” Chatastrophe replied. He hopped onto a still standing building and peered around. He spotted an excellent target; the Eiffel Tower was just a ways down the river. He leaped from building to building, stopping to destroy any cafés or bistros he came across with another ultrasonic wail.

Chatastrophe paused en route suddenly as he heard something. Cat ears popped up from beneath his ginger hair as his green eyes glared down at the source of the noise; a dog barking up at him from the middle of the street. The dog’s owner pulled madly at the leash, trying to get the dog to move. His ears disappeared as Chatastrophe opened his mouth again and directed another scream at the dog.

In the knick of time, a yoyo came and pulled the dog to safety as Chat Noir made a daring leap to push the owner out of the way. Chatastrophe stopped wailing immediately, ears popping up again in curiosity.

“That’s enough out of you, _M. Miauleur!”_ Chat scolded him.

Chatastrophe looked from Chat Noir to Ladybug and beamed at them. “It’s the nice red lady and Papa!” he cheered.

“ _Papa?_ ” repeated Ladybug aghast.

“Surely you recognize our Chat Noir Jr?” Chat teased. “He’s looking more and more like his Papa everyday.”

Papillon growled in frustration and smacked his palm against his forehead. “That’s _Ladybug!_ Those two are the Ladybug and Chat Noir you’ve been waiting for! Steal her earrings and his ring _now!_ ” he commanded, waving his staff around angrily.

“Aw, but I like the Bug Lady. She saved me from a plastic bag, yesterday,” Chatastrophe objected.

“Do it or lose your Marinette forever!”

“OK, OK,” he relented. Hiding his ears again, he directed a scream at Chat Noir, who threw up his baton, twirling it like a shield. Chat held on for about three seconds before being blown backward by the force of the soundwave.

Ladybug threw her yoyo at Chatastrophe, who stopped screaming in order to dodge. His ears popped out as she launched herself onto his roof for close-quarter combat. The cat-boy proved very good at dodging and managed to get a good swipe of his claws across her arm. If her suit wasn’t magically indestructible, she would have been in for a serious injury. His right ear swiveled to the side, listening, seconds before Chat Noir pole-vaulted himself onto the roof behind her. His left ear twitched as she lurched forward, trying to grab his arm for a takedown. He dodged and positioned himself carefully between them as Chat closed ranks.

Chatastrophe swiped the rooftop with his claws and the damage was immense; the gashes were so deep it weakened the structure and the super duo fell through to the building below. Ladybug looked up just in time to see Chatastrophe’s ears disappear beneath his hair again and dodge another well-aimed wail. They rolled to opposite sides of the building as the akuma lept away.

“He may not have Cataclysm, but his claws are no joke!” Chat complained.

“His hearing’s quite powerful too,” Ladybug mused. “And did you notice that his cat ears always disappeared before he used his sound attack?”

“How will that help us? The akuma’s in his scarf!”

“Because this way we can see the attack coming!” she declared smartly.

Chat grinned. “Excellent observation, Milady!”

“A mother knows her son,” Ladybug quipped before leaping into pursuit. Chat followed her grinning.

They scanned the rooftops as they sped in the direction they’d seen him leave. “He’s heading for the Eiffel Tower!” Ladybug announced, spotting Chatastrophe dashing ahead of them.

“Why do they always go for the Eiffel Tower?” Chat complained.

They caught up at the base of the tower. Chatastrophe was leaping around the latticework, quickly scaling the building and clawing enormous gashes into the metal at strategic intervals.

“Hey! That’s a national monument, not a scratching post!” Chat Noir yelled indignantly. “Looks like somebody needs to be declawed.”

“We need to distract him,” Ladybug declared. “It’ll be difficult to sneak up on him with his super hearing.”

Chat was struck by an idea. “He’s after Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s affection. We could use _her_ as a distraction,” he suggested pointedly.

“ _Her_ \--oh, no, I--that’s--it’s much too dangerous,” Ladybug stammered. “She’s safe were she is now. We’ll just have to figure out how to distract him on our own!”

So, they were definitely the same person. Seriously, how had he never noticed before? They were never in the same place at the same time. Anytime Marinette needed to show up, Ladybug went on a “secret mission” and didn’t come back until he and Marinette had parted ways. They even _stammered_ the same.

They raced up the side of the tower as police and park officials evacuated the area. When they reached the landing area, Chatastrophe jumped down from his position to meet them halfway, tail flicking playfully.

“Ladybug and Papa Noir!” he called down from his perch. “Will you give me your Miraculouses, please?”

“Stop this, Henri!” Ladybug demanded. “Marinette wouldn’t want this!”

“Yeah! Your mother and I raised you better than this!” Chat agreed.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“But Marinette can’t keep a cat. If I want to be with my favorite humans, I need to be human,” Chatastrophe shook his head. “So can I have your Miraculouses?”

“Never!”

Chatastrophe smiled and his ears receded.

“Look out! He’s going to do the Super Miaou!” Chat cried.

They leaped over the side of the platform just in time as Chatastrophe released another incredible wail. The tower shook and groaned, as the points weakened by his claws broke and collapsed. With a ungodly noise, the tower fell towards the river in pieces, its destroyer leaping from the top of the tower, over Le Pont d’Iéna, towards the park.

“Enough cat and mouse!” Ladybug cried. “Lucky Charm!” She caught the small red and black-spotted object in her hand.

“A laser pointer?”

“Any clues?” asked Chat Noir.

She looked around. “Nothing yet. Let’s follow him for now.”

They heard the unmistakable sound of his scream attack coming from the park, as well as flocks of pigeons scattering in the air. When they arrived, rather than the devastation and destruction they expected, Chatastrophe was aiming, not at the statues and fountains, but at the birds themselves. He was scattering the birds in the air and chasing them.

“He’s acting like a regular cat,” Chat marveled.

“That’s it!” Ladybug cried. She looked around at the tree filled park and spotted a couple abandoned bicycles on the ground nearby. She ran over to the bikes and began pulling off reflectors. “Chat Noir, I need these spokes!” she called to him.

“Cataclysm!” Chat cried and carefully destroyed the metal around the spokes of the wheels, so the wires could be pulled free. He helped her break off the rest of the reflectors and she explained the rest of her plan.

Meanwhile, Papillon was getting annoyed with his minion’s short attention span. “Enough fooling around! Find Ladybug and Chat Noir! I want their Miraculouses!” he bellowed.

“Alright, alright. Don’t have kittens,” Chatastrophe grumbled, glancing around the park. “Look, I found one already!”

Chat was whistling in the middle of the path, twirling his baton casually and looking as obvious as possible.

“Get him!” commanded Papillon.

Chatastrophe advanced, claws out, but the moment he got close, Chat Noir held up his baton and a strange red dot appeared on his chest. Chatastrophe stared at the dot as it moved around, finally finding its mark on the metal baton and reflecting off. Chat angled the baton to control the reflection so that it landed right at Chatastrophe’s feet. He was instantly transfixed.

He pounced. The little red light moved away. He followed it, batting at it with his hands. He didn’t even notice Chat Noir in front of him as he followed the light. Then the dot vanished. Chatastrophe whipped his head around and found it a few feet away. He dived for it but it moved again.

“No!” Papillon roared. “Leave it! It’s a distraction!” But it was too late; the chase was on.

He’d chase the dot one direction but then it’d hit a strategically placed reflector in a tree or bush and bounce off several feet in a different direction. He’d leap to catch it but just when he’d get close, it would disappear again and reappear several feet up the path. The dot was clever. Chatastrophe was having so much fun he didn’t seem to notice he was being led out of the park entirely.

With one final leap, he followed it right over the edge of the road and into the river. He splashed around wildly, unable to swim until Chat extended his staff down into the water. Chatastrophe scrambled to grab ahold of it and hold himself above water. With both hands clinging to the baton for dear life, he had no way to stop the yoyo that swung out towards him, snatching his scarf on the wires wrapped around it.

Catching her yoyo carefully--as to not stab herself with the wires--Ladybug took the scarf in both hands and tore it in two. “You’ve done enough harm, little akuma,” she smiled gently at the butterfly that emerged from the damaged accessory. “I free you of evil!” She caught and purified the akuma, bidding it farewell with one last, “bye bye, little butterfly.”

Chat hoisted Chatastrophe out of the water and onto dry ground. Ladybug cast the laser pointer into the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

The damage to the city repaired itself in a shower of magic ladybugs and Chatastrophe the human-ish boy turned back into Henri the cat. Henri couldn’t quite remember how he got there, but he remembered he liked the two people in front of him and that he was very glad not to be wet.

“Well played!” the superheroes fist-bumped in celebration. Papillon, on the other hand, was left to close the window of his lair and rant in a typical villainous soliloquy of rage and despair.

“I guess I’ll take this little guy with me,” Ladybug said, as she tied the scarf back around Henri’s neck and picked him up, cuddling him. “See you later!”

“Wait--Ladybug!” Chat called.

She turned to look at him. He had wanted to talk to her so badly. The knowledge he had obtained was screaming on the tip of his tongue. But now faced with the opportunity to finally get the words off his chest, he didn’t know what to say. “I…” he hesitated. “...I’ll see you later.”

She looked slightly confused but she nodded and turned away again. Holding Henri carefully over her shoulder, Ladybug cast out her yoyo and swung away, leaving Chat feeling hollow inside.

  
  


Ladybug landed nimbly on her balcony and set Henri down gently. She then quickly dived in through her skylight and detransformed on her bed.

Marinette popped her head out of the window to look for Henri. “You stay out here,” she told him as he excitedly purred at the sight of her. “I’ll be back for you in a minute!”

She ducked back in and quickly got dressed for the day. She scrounged around her room and found a plastic shopping bag, which she used to line her backpack to protect it from excessive cat hair. She then popped back onto the balcony and carefully settled Henri into her backpack.

“Stay quiet!” she warned him. He purred louder.

Using Tikki as a lookout, she was able to sneak Henri out of the house without her parents noticing. Although her parents were momentarily confused when they heard what sounded like purring when she passed by them in the bakery.

She took Henri to the park next door and let him out. He immediately climbed in her lap and rubbed himself all over her, purring excessively.

She giggled, petting him. “I’m happy to see you too! But I still can’t keep you. We’re going to the shelter.”

“Marinette?”

Marinette looked up at the voice that called out to her and saw her teacher, Mlle. Bustier, walking towards her, smiling. Marinette smiled back. “Mlle. Bustier! What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was doing some work at the school when I thought I’d take a coffee break,” she answered, gesturing to the cup in her hand. “Who do you have there?”

“He’s a stray cat that escaped from a shelter. I’ve been calling him Henri,” Marinette explained. Henri rolled on his back and mewed up at her. “He’s really friendly. Want to pet him?”

“Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” Mlle. Bustier cooed, bending down to scratch Henri under the chin. “I’ve always wanted a cat.”

Marinette looked up at her in surprise. Several minutes later, she was waving goodbye to a purring Henri and his delighted new owner. Grinning to herself, she walked back toward the bakery when she spotted a familiar face running towards her. She ran to meet him.

“Adrien! You’ll never guess--Mlle. Bustier is adopting Henri!” she beamed.

“For real?” he asked in surprise. “That’s awesome!”

“I know! I think they’ll be really happy together.”

They smiled at each other for one happy moment before Adrien’s insides began warring with each other again. He couldn’t live with this indecision. “Marinette,” he began nervously. “Do you remember how this morning I wanted to talk to you? Do you… have some time…?”

Marinette jumped like she’d been electrocuted. “Oh, yes! I’m--that--of course! I’m Tove Lo--no-- _I mean I’d love to!_ ” she stammered rapidly, moving her arms about unnecessarily before finally steeling herself. “Why don’t you come in?”

“Thanks,” Adrien said and followed her inside. She led the way robotically, swinging her arms and legs unnaturally akimbo to each other. At the top of the stairs to her room, she stood stiffly at attention and held out her arm, in awkward welcome.

They both noticed her mistake at the same time; she’d been so caught off guard, she’d led him right to her room without hiding any of the many pictures of him plastered over her wall. Adrien’s surprise was nothing compared to Marinette’s utter panic. She quickly dived in front of her computer screen in an attempt to hide it, but he’d already glimpsed it--her desktop background was a collage of various photos of him complete with little hearts.

Adrien suddenly and vividly remembered her words this morning. _Good morning, my love_ . She’d been talking to her computer screen. And what was it her kwami had said? _You were lucky you got to see him yesterday. You were even invited to his house!_ He had talked to her the day before and casually invited her to visit Henri at his home. It was him. She had been talking about him all along.

“Oh, sorry--this seems weird, right? It looks weird--not that you look weird, they’re great photos--it’s probably not that uncommon, having one or two photos--you see, your father’s my favorite designer and--” she babbled, trying not to look at him.

“Marinette, do you like me?” Adrien asked abruptly.

He might as well have shot her, for the look on her face. “I--I--I don’t--who, me? I--what makes you--” she stammered, her face scarlet.

“Sorry,” he said sincerely. “I normally wouldn’t ask but… but I need to be clear.”

The jig was up; she could deny it all she wanted, but he already knew. Marinette collapsed onto her desk chair. She’d contemplated telling him for so long, but now that she was in the moment, she just felt terrified.

Adrien kneeled down next to her chair. He had come for answers on his own feelings, but now he needed to know hers. He had so hoped she would return whatever feelings he had; he would have given anything to have her love him back. But now, seeing his own pictures plastered around her room like a celebrity crush, he realized he needed more than that. Lots of girls at school liked him for his looks, his wealth, or his fame. He needed Marinette to be different. He had to know the truth.

He took a deep breath. “Can I… ask why you like me?” he asked softly.

He could see the terror in her eyes as she looked up at him. “What?”

“Why me?” he repeated.

She opened her mouth to speak then closed her eyes, shaking her head. “You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met,” she said simply.

“Just that?” he asked, surprised.

Marinette frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m… not that nice,” he shrugged. “Nothing special.” If niceness was the qualifying factor, he felt there must surely be better candidates than him. Surely being nice couldn’t be enough to warrant so much affection from such an amazing person.

She glared stubbornly. “You are! You’re kind and thoughtful and generous! You’re an amazing friend to everyone in class. In the beginning, I misunderstood and was so horrible to you but you treated me with kindness. You just wanted to be friends. I was always so nervous afterwards but you never treated me any different when I was clumsy, or when I misspoke, or made a fool of myself. And it’s not just that! I love how you always do your best in everything you do; whether it’s fencing, modeling, or helping a friend. I love how you listen to others and care about their problems. I love how you’re empathetic. I even love how you stick up for Chloé, even when she’s being horrible! You see the good in people and stand with them no matter what, but you also expect more from them because you care. You make them want to be better. You have so much love for people, despite everything in your life that would bring you down, I just couldn’t help but feel this way!”

Adrien stared at her, unsure of what to say. He’d had no idea she felt this way; that someone could love him so much. He felt a lump catch in his throat. “I’m not sure I can live up to your expectations.”

“What’s there not to like? On top of all that, you’re good looking and cool,” she blushed. “Your dad really is my favorite designer. I think it’s amazing how many languages you speak. You’re great at fencing and piano, as well as super intelligent. A walking disaster like myself is lucky just to be friends with you.”

“You’re not a disaster,” he said fiercely. “And I’m not as cool as everyone thinks.”

“What part of you isn’t cool? You’ve got the confidence I could only dream of and you’re a total catch to boot!” Marinette observed.

“What if I’m a total nerd?” Adrien argued. “What if I’m secretly a closet anime geek who constantly reads Ladybug and Chat Noir fanfiction on the internet--”

“ _There’s Ladybug and Chat Noir fanfiction on the internet?”_

“What if I love horrible puns and make constant dad jokes? What if I’m not cool at all and am actually just an overly-self-confident dork?”

Marinette gaped at him for a moment before considering this. “My dad likes dad jokes,” she mused. “You’d get along well.”

“I’m serious!”

She laughed, finally feeling like all of her tension had eased. “Everyone has their interests, Adrien,” she explained, smiling. “I don’t think any one person is all one thing. Look at me, I’m a fashion-designer wannabe who lives above a bakery and spends all her time daydreaming about a boy, but I love rock music and video games. Chloé’s a selfish brat who doesn’t care about anyone else but she’s also an obsessive Ladybug fan. I think cool guys can also be closet nerds if they want to be. I don’t think I’m going to be disillusioned over your hobbies.”

“How can you be sure?” he asked nervously. He was pretty sure he had one secret that might change her opinion of him.

“I’m sure,” she said with absolute confidence. “As for the bad jokes, I think I could live with them. I know someone who’s like that and he’s annoying but I’d also count him among one of my best friends.”

Adrien said nothing as he looked at her smiling face. In the wake of her total acceptance of him, he felt he too could wholeheartedly accept his feelings for her. He loved her. Marinette and Ladybug; he loved her.

He closed his eyes solemnly. “There’s just one last thing to address, then.” He stood up in front of her. He’d made up his mind.

“Plagg, transform me!”


	2. Tu ne Fais Que te Cogner Contre du Mur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is surprised with a gift from Alya that proves to be problematic...
> 
> SEASON TWO SPOILERS! There's a baby spoiler for season two, episode seven.

“So? What do you think?” Alya asked excitedly.

Marinette had been pleasantly surprised when Alya had told her she’d gotten her a spur-of-the-moment gift. She’d received another surprise when she opened the small box she’d been given to find a pair of earrings inside. “Oh! They’re--that--these are beautiful, really!” she hedged.

Alya beamed. “I got them from a street vendor when I was on a date with Nino. I thought I’d stash them away for a special occasion. Then last night--BAM!--it hit me that these would go perfect with that red dress you made last week.”

“For sure! They totally would,” Marinette agreed. They were simple push-back earrings with a thin post but the creator had customized them by dangling a beautiful red-jeweled design from the stud in front. As much as she loved the original, hand-made piece, Marinette knew she shouldn’t trade them with her current earrings--being that they were an incredibly powerful magical item she needed to transform to save the city at a moment’s notice. But she didn’t want to hurt Alya’s feelings…

“I was thinking,” Alya grinned mischievously. “You should wear that dress _and_ the earrings to the cinema tonight. After all, you’ll want to look good for your date with _Adrien!”_

Alya and Nino had invited Marinette to the movies with them that night. They had also managed to convince Adrien to come along, claiming that poor Marinette would need company to prevent her from feeling like a third wheel. Marinette had been over the moon about it all day. Now, seeing her best friend just as excited as she was for her, Marinette steeled her resolve and made her decision. “Good idea,” she said, putting her hand on Alya’s shoulder. “That’ll be perfect, thank you.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” she winked. “But if you want to thank me, I’ll take half a dozen croissants to go.”

  
  


Later that night, Marinette scrambled to get ready. She wore her dress and with some black tights, and dressed it up with a scarf and beret. She paused in front of the mirror. “The finishing touch…” she said to herself as she held up the small white box Alya had given her.

“Marinette, surely you’re not going to wear them after all!” Tikki fretted. “It’s too dangerous!”

“It’ll be OK, Tikki,” Marinette assured her, though she herself wasn’t convinced. “It’s just for the movie and I’ll take my Miraculous with me. If anything happens, I’ll just change earrings right away!”

She steeled herself and took off her earrings. “You didn’t disappear!” she commented in surprise as Tikki watched her with disapproval. She put in the pair from Alya carefully, as to not bend the delicate posts.

“I only disappear if you renounce me,” she explained. “And I’m still not sure this is a good idea!”

“I’m not giving up being Ladybug!” Marinette assured her, placing her Miraculous carefully in the box. “I’m just taking off the Miraculous for a while… Don’t worry. I’ll put the box in my purse with you so you can keep an eye on them. And if something does happen, it will take me thirty seconds tops to switch them out again.”

Her kwami sighed. “Alright. If you’re sure…”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks, Tikki.” She held out her purse for Tikki to fly in. “We’d better get going. I’ll try to sneak you some popcorn!”

Tikki cheered up instantly. “You promise?”

“Promise!” she agreed.

  
  


Marinette caught up to Alya and Nino in the cinema lobby. “Marinette, you look fabulous!” Alya told her enthusiastically. “It’s super cute, your ensemble, eh Nino?”

Her boyfriend wasn’t sure he was allowed to answer that question but Nino tried anyway. “Euh, well, yeah. It’s great.”

“Of course,” Alya bragged. “The beret was a nice touch but I think we all agree she has some super cute earrings to tie it all together.”

Marinette giggled. “Merci, Alya, for the earrings.”

“Those are from Alya? I thought you might have made them yourself,” Adrien remarked from behind Marinette. He had gotten there earlier than she did, but she had failed to notice him while he was checking out movie posters.

“ADRIEN!” Marinette jumped about a foot in the air, flailing, before she spun around and tried to regain her composure. “No, thank you, but no I didn’t make the dress, just the earrings--I mean I _did_ make the dress, I _didn’t_ make the earrings.” She face-palmed herself.

“You made your dress? That’s so cool! You look great!” Adrien said sincerely before throwing a wink at Alya. “And of course, your earrings are of great taste.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” said Alya.

“Who’s up for popcorn?” Nino asked, gesturing to the concession stand.

They got their snacks and filed in the theater. The four sat in a row together, with the boys on the ends and the “couples” together.

“Thanks for coming with us,” Marinette said shyly to Adrien, finally trusting her mouth to speak properly again.

“No problem; I love the movies! And I’ve wanted to see _Remarquez-moi, Aîné!_ for ages, anyway,” replied Adrien cheerfully.

“Me too! I hope we can all come together again sometime,” she ventured bravely.

“For sure! It’s a date,” Adrien said smoothly with another wink.

Marinette melted into her seat while Alya and Nino gave each other knowing looks. They quieted down as the lights dimmed and the previews began to roll. Marinette and Adrien both moved their arms to use their shared armrest in unison, before shyly backing away and offering it to the other. They then took each other up on the offer at the same time and touched arms again before pulling back again. Giving each other shy glances, they both tucked their arms in and neither decided to use the armrest. Alya and Nino smirked even harder at each other.

Marinette snuck a few handfuls of popcorn into her purse for Tikki and found herself glancing at Adrien several times as they watched the movie. He was really into it, which was too cute. It was a good movie, though, and Marinette also found herself pulled in. About halfway through the movie, she was so caught up in a dramatic moment that she jumped at one of the surprises and instinctively grabbed the armrest again, only to find herself squeezing Adrien’s hand after he’d had the same reaction. The darkness of the theater hid Marinette’s blush as they both pulled their hands away and whispered apologies. Hands clutched tightly in her lap, Marinette couldn’t help her herself smiling and glancing at Adrien again.

Suddenly, she felt something drop into her lap. Surprised, she picked it up, only to discover it was the front of one of her earrings. Thinking it must have fallen out, she reached up to her left ear to feel for the damage. The post was still in but as she fumbled with the butterfly backing, it snapped off in her hands, to her complete shock. Holding the front stud and back of the post in her hand, she felt her ear again and was promptly poked by a sharp edge. “Aïe!”

She hadn’t spoken too loud, but Adrien still heard her. “Are you alright?” he whispered. 

She dropped the earring parts in her purse and, still holding her ear, got up to leave. “I’ll be back,” was her whispered answer.

She rushed to the bathroom for better lighting and a mirror. On closer examination, she realized to her horror that the post was still in her ear. The broken edges were nearly flush with her ear on both sides. She had to push on the front of her ear with one hand to try to push enough of the post through that she could get a hold of it on the other side. She kept poking her fingers on the points and pinching at her ears with her nails but she struggled to get a grip and couldn’t pull it out.

“Oh, no, Tikki!” Marinette wailed in the empty bathroom. “I can’t get it out! I won’t be able to get the Miraculous in at this rate!”

“Calm, down, Marinette!” Tikki reassured her. “There must be something you can use to help you.”

Marinette thought about it. “I could use some pliers… but they’re at home. There’s nothing I could use here.”

“Then you should go and get them!” Tikki said brightly. As much as Marinette hated to leave in the middle of the movie--what’s more, a date with Adrien--she knew she had to take care of this right away. She’d taken a risk in switching earrings and she couldn’t waste time in fixing this problem. If an akuma showed up now, who knows how long Chat Noir would have to contend on his own until she could help him. Marinette nodded resolutely, and dashed out of the bathroom.

“Marinette!”

“Adrien!” She put on the brakes as she unexpectedly ran into Adrien in the lobby. He was emerging from the hallway to their theater, looking concerned.

“Are you alright? You were gone a while,” he asked.

“Oh, I’m OK. It’s just that one of the earrings Alya gave me broke off in my ear. I can’t get the post out,” she explained.

“Seriously?” he asked in surprise. Marinette froze as Adrien touched her ear, turning her head for a better look in the light. “That’s a shame! There’s no way to get it out?”

She tried to wipe the weird, stiff smile off her face. “I’ve got some tools at home. I was just heading there now.”

“ _Now?_ ” Adrien gaped. “It can’t wait until after the movie?”

“Ah, no, well… It hurts a little,” she lied awkwardly, unable to properly explain the urgency. “You should head back inside. I’ll text Alya where I’ve gone.”

Adrien thought about it briefly then smiled. “No, it’s fine. How about I give you a lift? My chauffeur’s right outside,” he offered.

“You sure?” Marinette gasped.

“Certain! Besides, I wouldn’t want to interrupt their date,” he grinned conspiratorially.

“Well, then, I’d love a ride,” she replied, smiling back at him.

“Great! I’ll text Nino.”

As he walked her out, she told herself that she’d agreed because it would be faster. It was purely for the sake of her Miraculous. It was the responsible thing to do. Spending more time with Adrien was just a bonus…

Adrien opened the door for her and told his driver where they were going. Realizing she couldn’t just stare at him the whole way, Marinette fumbled for something to say.

“Ah, well, it’s really nice in here. Totes cool ride,” she said lamely.

“I offered you a ride before,” Adrien grinned slyly. “But you turned me down for couscous.”

Adrien was startled when Marinette immediately face-palmed herself. “ _Pousse-pousse_ ,” she groaned. “I was trying to say _un v_ _é_ _lo pousse-pousse_. I took a rickshaw.”

“Oh. Maybe I misheard you?” he offered.

“No, it was definitely me who said it wrong,” she grimaced.

“Well…” Adrien smiled politely. “It certainly makes more sense.”

She looked up at him and they held eye contact. Suddenly, they were both laughing. They laughed a good long while before, awkwardness broken, they spent the rest of the ride discussing the movie. All too soon, Marinette was at her house and she remembered why she had left early.

“Thanks for the ride, Adrien,” she said, getting out.

He smiled back at her. “No problem… maybe we could do this again sometime?” he asked hopefully.

Her heart broke. Adrien got out of the house to have fun so rarely and because of her he was going home early. And they had been having so much fun… she had even spent most of the time talking like a normal human being for once. Mustering up courage she didn’t know she had, she found herself offering, “Adrien…? Would you like to come inside?”

He beamed at her in excitement. “Really? That’d be OK?”

“Absolutely! My parents won’t mind, although I’m not doing anything interesting. Just fixing my earrings,” she told him.

“No, that’s totally cool! Ah--just a sec--” he quickly gave instructions for his driver to wait and followed her inside.

Marinette had to whisk him away from her parents, who quickly supplied them with an unreasonable amount of baked goods. Exasperated and nervous, she led a happily munching Adrien to her room--thankfully, clear of Adrien paraphernalia thanks to sending Tikki as an advance scout while Adrien was distracted.

They set up at Marinette’s desk and she grabbed her toolbox. She found a thin pair of needle-nose pliers that looked like they’d do the trick. Adrien offered to the wield the pliers and Marinette tried not to blush at his extreme proximity. With a little luck and a fair bit of abuse to her ear, they finally succeeded in pulling out the post’s remains.

“We did it!” Adrien cheered.

“Thank goodness,” she sighed. “Let’s just hope I can get the other one out in one piece…”

Once again, any attempt to remove the butterfly backing snapped the post in twain. Luckily, Marinette had been careful to leave the front in tact and was able to carefully pull out the rest by the stud without anything else breaking. She sighed again in relief and pulled out the white box where she’d stuck the Miraculous and removed the stray bits of the first earring from her purse.

“You seem to wear those earrings a lot,” Adrien commented, startling her as she replaced her Miraculous.

“Ah, well… they’re cheap but they’ve got sentimental value,” she chuckled nervously.

“Black goes with everything,” Adrien shrugged, smiling. “It’s too bad the other ones broke. Alya picked a really cool design.”

“Yeah…” she mused as she stared down at the earrings on her desk.

“You look like you have an idea,” Adrien grinned expectantly.

She grinned back at him. “I think I might. Want to help me?”

“I would _love_ to!”

  
  


“I can’t believe they broke so easily! I’m going to find that street vendor and post about him on my blog! What a ripoff! I want a refund!” Alya rampaged around Marinette’s room after she and Nino caught up with them after the movie.

“Chill, girl,” Nino said, trying not to sound amused. “I doubt anyone on _The Ladyblog_ cares about your trouble with street vendors.”

“I’m sorry, Marinette. I thought I was getting you something special and unique,” Alya deflated sadly.

“You did!” Marinette assured her with a glance at Adrien. “In fact, now _I_ have a surprise for _you_.”

“Ta-Da!” Adrien cried, revealing a small box he’d hidden behind his back.

“What is this?” Alya asked curiously.

“Open it!” Marinette prompted.

Alya opened the box and unearthed a silver charm bracelet with only one charm; the handmade decoration that previously dangled from the earrings she’d purchased. Marinette beamed and brought out a matching pair from her pocket.

“I have one too! The earrings’ posts were way too cheap, but the design attached to the stud was in good condition. I thought it would be a shame to waste it!” Marinette explained.

“I helped! ...a little,” Adrien announced proudly before amending himself with an abashed glance at Marinette. She grinned at him. He’d been a bit clumsy with the tools but he’d been an excellent helper when it came to handing her things. The important thing was he’d had fun.

“Marinette!” Alya cried, throwing her arms around her best friend. “I love it, thank you! You’re the best!”

“You’re welcome,” Marinette giggled. “The fun part now will be deciding what other charms to put on it.”

“I know exactly what I want!” Alya declared. “My first charm will be a ladybug!”

Marinette smiled and looked down at her own bracelet. “Yeah. I think I might want one too.”


	3. Il ne Faut Surtout pas Paniquer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wayhem (the fanboy who dresses like Adrien) gets akumatized to look like his idol. When the real Adrien tries to save a friend from the fake, things don't go according to plan...
> 
> SEASON TWO SPOILERS. There's no big spoiler reveals but it won't make much sense unless you've seen past episode 11 at least.

Wayhem had been mocked for the last time. In fact, he was no longer Wayhem. Wayhem had been a loser who had been obsessed with his idol, Adrien Agreste. He’d copied Adrien’s look, bought all of his merch, and talked about him incessantly. Even at the height of Adrien Fever after the release of his perfume, the others thought he was “too much” and “a freak.” Wayhem had calmed down after becoming Adrien’s friend, trying to be “worthy” of him, but the others mocked him still. No one believed him that he had befriended his idol. He could prove it of course, but he kept Adrien’s email a secret. He would never reveal his friend’s personal information. He had been foolish to cling to friendship when he could have had so much more.

It had all come to a head when Wayhem had been caught pretending to be Adrien. He had fashioned a string around the head severed from the cardboard cutout of Adrien he used to carry around to create an Adrien mask. The mockery was cruel, the humiliation more than he could bear.

But then Papillon had found him and offered him a deal. He accepted. He was no longer Wayhem, the loser; he was now Contrefait, an akuma with the power to steal the face of anyone he wanted. His makeshift Adrien mask had turned into a blank formless mask that could copy the appearance of anyone who wore it. For the price of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses, he could  _ become _ Adrien Agreste.

Contrefait had immediately tried the mask on one of his many Adrien posters and was pleased to see that it worked. He put the mask on and his transformation to his idol, his ultimate dream, was complete and utterly perfect. It was now time to live life as Adrien.

He walked the streets of Paris, reveling in the attention and the feeling of being a famous model. His mind was reeling with all the possibilities. There were so many things he wanted to experience, where to even start?

He found the answer to his question walking across the street, cheerfully chatting on her phone. Of course, he recognized her from the day he’d met Adrien. Leave it to Adrien to have such a cute girlfriend. And now, so did he. He would become Adrien Agreste, with everything that entailed.

He ran after her and jumped out in front of her. “Salut, ma cherie!”

Marinette screamed and jumped a whole foot in the air. She stammered in surprise before managing, “I’ll call you back,” and hanging up.

“Might I enquire if you’re available, ma belle?” Contrefait asked, flirtatiously.

“Talus, Adrien. Euh, I meant to say,  _ salut _ , Adrien. I thought you were at a photoshoot today?” she fumbled.

His smile didn’t falter. “I finished early. So, are you free now?”

“Yes,” Marinette gaped. She was, in fact,  _ not _ free, as she had just been on her way to meet Alya and Mylène but her brain was still trying to process the fact that Adrien had just called her “beautiful” and referred to her as “his.”

“Excellent! It’s a date!”

“D-date?” Marinette repeated in shock as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street.

  
  


“I still don’t think it was necessary to poke me,” Plagg complained, peeking out from the collar of Adrien’s shirt.

“You were  _ snoring _ ,” Adrien whispered. “How would it look if my shirt started snoring during a photoshoot?”

“I couldn’t help it. I was bored. Do you have any idea how--” Adrien shushed him as he left the park and waved to his bodyguard. Plagg ducked back in his hiding place, grumbling, “You didn’t have to poke me that hard.”

His bodyguard opened the door and Adrien climbed in the back seat. He checked his phone as he grabbed his seatbelt. He had a text from Nino, two from Nathalie, and an email from Wayhem. Adrien glanced up as his bodyguard got in the car and paused as he caught something out of the window.

His friend Marinette was running along the sidewalk up ahead, being lead along by the hand by… himself?

Adrien did a double take as Marinette and Fauxdrien ran down a side street. He finally noticed his bodyguard was staring at him. He hadn’t realized he had let go of the forgotten seat belt and was sitting forward in his seat, mouth agape, staring after them. Abandoning all subtlety, he threw open the car door. “Sorry, I forgot something, be right back!” he called as he dashed out of the car and back into the park.

“What’s the rush?” asked Plagg, popping out again.

“There’s an imposter who looks just like me running about, it’s time to suit up Plagg,” he replied, scanning for a suitable hiding place.

“That doesn’t mean it’s an akuma. You’re a celebrity. It could just be someone copying your style. I hear plastic surgery is amazing nowadays.”

“He’s got Marinette. As long as he’s messing with my friends, we’re not taking the risk,” Adrien insisted. “Plagg, transform me!”

  
  


“How do you feel about André’s ice cream, my darling?” Contrefait asked sweetly as they strolled down le Pont des Artes.

“I love it,” Marinette admitted, staring openly at the face of her love, trying to ground herself to reality. “But I’ve only had it by myself.”

He stopped and turned to face her, hand still in hers, crooking a finger under her chin. “Then today we share a lover’s ice cream… the first of many to come.”

What was left of Marinette’s brain melted. She might have fallen over, but Contrefait put his arm around her shoulder and steered her towards the ice cream cart. 

“A lover’s ice cream, good sir, for me and my love,” he announced grandly.

“Of course,” chuckled André as he turned around from helping his previous customers. “Coming right--” He paused.

Marinette tore her eyes away from Adrien and glanced between him and the ice cream man. André was studying them seriously.

“You’re lovers… you two?” he asked finally.

Contrefait’s smile twitched. “But of course. And we’d love some ice cream. Perhaps something with blue, like her eyes?” Marinette blushed under the heat of his gaze.

André just shook his head. “No. André’s eyes do not deceive him. André’s magic ice cream is to unite lovers together. I can see that you are not in love.”

Contrefait’s temper flared before he regained control of himself. He smiled, grabbing Marinette by the waist and pulling her close. “If you don’t believe we are lovers, why don’t we prove it to you?”

Marinette’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head as not-Adrien cupped a hand around her face and leaned in for a kiss. She heard the sound of a cellphone camera but his face was so close she couldn’t look away. His lips were nearly on hers when she finally remembered to close her eyes.

Marinette yelped as something plowed into her at the last minute and she tumbled across the bridge, tangled up with whatever had run her over. Whatever it was had cushioned her fall. Marinette opened her eyes to realize it was a person she had landed on. Surprised green eyes stared into her face and she realized her lips were touching theirs, but the wrong eyes and the wrong lips than the ones she had meant to kiss. There were more cellphone sounds.

“Chat Noir?” Marinette gasped, breaking their contact and pulling away slightly.

A deep blush enveloped Chat’s face and he quickly released his arms from the protective hold on her back and pushed her gently off of him. “Sorry,” he mumbled as she moved aside. He stood quickly and held out his hand, not looking at her. “It was an accident.”

“It’s ok,” she assured him. She took his hand and got to her feet. Marinette stared at him curiously. She was more surprised and amused at his embarrassment than upset. Was he blushing?

Although Marinette remembered their previous kiss, Chat Noir had only seen photos online. While not technically his first, it was the first kiss he would remember, and with a friend at that. He had not expected to have to deal with the knowledge of how soft his classmate’s lips were or the feeling of her mouth pressed to his. The accident had shaken him, but the sight of the enraged fake Adrien returned his focus.

“What the heck was that for?” Contrefait demanded. “What kind of superhero kisses a man’s girlfriend in front of him?”

Chat Noir bit back his retort that Marinette wasn’t his girlfriend. That was Adrien’s job. He hadn’t done much to address the rumors until now but seeing how much trouble it could cause Marinette, decided to fix that later.

“Chat Noir?” Marinette asked again, waiting for his response.

He flung out his arm as if to shield her. “Stay back, Marinette. That’s not the real Adrien Agreste!” he announced to gasps from the crowd. “I saw the real one across town just moments ago. Care to explain how there’s two of you, Mr. Imposter?”

“How do you know  _ I’m _ not the real Adrien Agreste?” Contrefait glared at him.

“Simple. This cat can smell a copycat from miles away,” Chat Noir said smugly, tapping his nose.

“That’s hardly evidence,” the akuma countered.

Chat’s smirk widened. “Oh? Well, if you’re the  _ real _ Adrien, you can answer this. What’s her name?” he gestured to Marinette.

Contrefait recoiled angrily as he realized he had no idea. He’d gotten away with calling her pet names until now but he had no way out of a direct question. 

Marinette gasped when she saw his hesitation. “He is a fake!” she cried. “I should have known…”

Exposed, Contrefait took off running, pushing his way through the crowd. Chat Noir made to run after him but paused. Briefly distracted by the disappointment in her voice, he put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. It was a convincing disguise, I wouldn’t have known either if I hadn’t seen double,” he lied. 

She looked up at him, not quite comforted but appreciative of the gesture, when their proximity suddenly reminded him of the kiss. He snatched his hand back from her shoulder and attempted to nonchalantly place it behind his head like he hadn’t just overreacted. “I should get going,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Hero work to do…” He gave a quick two-finger salute and took off after the akuma.

Marinette smiled down at her purse, where Tikki was hiding. “See you soon,” she muttered to herself before running off in the opposite direction to transform.

  
  


There was no way to explain how late she was when Marinette finally dragged herself to the restaurant where she was supposed to have met Alya and Mylène over an hour ago. Fighting Contrefait had been exhausting. He had the ability to take off his mask and stuff it on a random person’s face to blend into the crowds. The worst was when he got Chat Noir and Ladybug had had a rehash of L’Imposter. Since his mask wasn’t visible when he wore it, they’d had to wait for him to take it off to defeat him, using her lucky charm (suction cups), several strategically placed mirrors, and an excessive amount of large tablecloths.

“Marinette!” Alya cried as she and Mylène ran up to her. “Girl, you’ve got some explaining to do!”

“I know! Sorry I’m late. I had, euh…” she fumbled for an excuse.

“Not that!” Mylène squealed.

“We’ve been waiting to hear all about  _ this! _ ” Alya grinned and shoved her phone in Marinette’s face. On it, was a picture of Adrien pulling her in for a kiss on le Pont des Arts. “Tell us  _ everything! _ ”

Marinette sighed. “That looks exciting but that picture is misleading. That’s not the real Adrien.”

“What?” her friends asked in unison, looking at each other in confusion.

“One of his fans got akumatized and took on his appearance. He tried to kiss me because he believed the rumors that I was Adrien’s girlfriend but Chat Noir showed up and stopped him. I haven’t even kissed a fake Adrien, let alone the real one,” Marinette admitted, depressed.

Alya smiled reassuringly and put a hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “Cheer up, girl. Your time will come!” She threw a wicked glance at Mylène before adding. “Besides, it’s not like nothing good happened today. We have a few more questions about  _ this _ .”

She held up her phone again, this time with a picture of Marinette on top of Chat Noir, their lips locked together. She flicked the image aside and scrolled through several similar pictures of their embrace from several different angles. Marinette grimaced with embarrassment and made a gurgling noise in the back of her throat.

“So…? How does it feel to kiss a superhero?” Alya’s grin was almost too wide for her face.

“It wasn’t like that!” her friends laughed as she insisted, “That was just an accident!”

“It still counts!” giggled Mylène.

“Models and superheroes, you do have fine taste,” Alya teased.

“Enough teasing!” Marinette complained. “Let’s just get something to eat, I’m starving.”

“Well, you  _ did _ work up an appetite.”

_ “Alya!” _

“You wouldn’t be so hungry if you’d gotten here on time,” Mylène reminded her. “Any longer and we would’ve eaten without you.”

“I really  _ am _ sorry I’m late,” Marinette repeated. “I’ve never eaten here before, is it good?”

Mylène nodded. “I came with Ivan. It’s delicious!”

“But Chat Noir’s not on the menu,” Alya added sadly.

_ “Alya!” _

  
  


Adrien panted as he ran up to his car at last. “Sorry for the wait, I couldn’t find my phone,” he lied, painfully aware that the phone in question was visible on the seat where he’d left it. But his driver said nothing as he got in and buckled up.

He wouldn’t have taken quite so long if he hadn’t circled back to talk to Wayhem to make sure he was ok. Wayhem had been embarrassed about the situation and about having evidently been teased about his Adrien imitation. But after reaffirming their friendship, he’d seemed to recover a bit. Adrien had also used the contents of their emails to remind Wayhem that his individuality was a good thing and that he was a likable person on his own. He seemed to take this to heart and Adrien hoped it would help him move on from his desire to become him and find happiness with who he was.

Adrien stared out the window as he reflected on this but jolted out of his reverie when the car slowed to a stop at an intersection. Seated at a table outside a restaurant were his classmates, Mylène, Alya, and… Marinette. Adrien resisted the urge to duck down out of sight as they made eye contact. He opted instead for a nervous wave, which Marinette returned, equally nervous. The car drove on and he deflated, sinking into the seat.

He wondered if Marinette would tell them what had happened. He really wished he could be a fly on the wall for that conversation. He tried to comfort himself, reminding himself that she hadn’t seemed upset at the time. She probably didn’t hold a grudge… unless it was the opposite. Could she actually have liked it? He figured that would be a weird question for him to ask her at school…  _ Hey, Marinette. Is Chat Noir a good kisser? _ That sounded like harassment. Besides, that wasn’t a real kiss. It’s not like he was trying anything; it was just a touching of the lips.

He tried to distract himself by letting Nathalie know they were on their way and answering her million text messages. But then he noticed he’d had a news alert about the akuma. He clicked into it, skimming the article before a familiar face jumped out him. A thumbnail picture on the side showed a picture of Chat Noir’s kiss with Marinette with a link to a gossip piece about it.

He closed the article and tossed his phone across the seat to the other side of the car.

He remembered the feeling of Marinette’s lips. But more than that, the picture reminded him of the other picture. The picture of Chat Noir and Ladybug.

He wondered what it was like to kiss Ladybug. He wondered if he’d ever find out.


End file.
